A Taste of Chocolate

Did you ever wonder where chocolate came from? The above fruit is from the cacao tree which is where everyone's favorite treat is hidden.  And just like coffee, creating chocolate is quite the process.

The fruit is large and grows on the trunk or strong branches. Cacao has had a difficult time in Panama.  It used to grow all over the country until a fungus invaded years ago and killed many of the trees.  Today they've discovered some ways to combat this disease and the cacao plant is making a slow return.  If left unmonitored, the cacao plant will succumb to the disease.

You open this melon looking thing up and there is a delicious tangy white fruit around a bunch of seeds. The cacao beans are what actually makes the chocolate.  Suck the fruit off and keep the beans.

It's really delicious and a favorite for locals.....and a certain Arizonan. The beans are taken out and left to ferment and dry out. This creates that wonderful chocolate flavor. Once all that happens over the course of 2 to 7 days(depending on the variety), the beans are roasted and given a shake down. Again this is all similiar to how coffee is made.

 In its pure form, chocolate is bitter.  So chocolate is ground up with sugar and other items mixed in that will sweeten up the final product.  The amount of chocolate bean used will also determine the percentage a bar of chocolate receives.  The higher percentage of cocoa/chocolate used; the higher the quality of the chocolate bar. The chocolate created here was rated at 80 percent.

As you can see, once the chocolate is ground up, it's ready to use for baking or eating:) Of course, it all depends on what you've mixed in with the beans:) Until tomorrow....